“Superman” (2025): Bright, Colorful and an Absolute Delight!

By: Evan Swierczek, Contributor

Even to the casual observer, summer means one thing in the film industry – action films. This summer has been no exception in this regard. We’ve seen installments like “Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning,” “Jurassic World: Rebirth,” and “The Fantastic Four: First Steps.” One of the more notable movies released this summer is “Superman,” written and directed by James Gunn. Released in July, this has been the first live-action standalone Superman film since 2013 with “Man of Steel,” directed by Zack Snyder. The movie has received generally positive reviews, with many agreeing about its lighthearted take on the heroic icon, which is a refreshing break from some of the more serious films we’ve received under the DC brand.

The Kryptonian has had a scattered history in film, but possibly the most recognizable take on the character is the 1978 epic “Superman,” directed by Richard Donner, who you may recognize as the director of “The Goonies” and “Scrooged.” I feel it’s worth mentioning because the performances seen in the 2025 film are very much rooted in the characters seen in that version. David Corenswet’s Kal-El/Clark is very much the innocent, yet powerful, somewhat corny farm boy we see in Christopher Reeve’s performance in the ‘70s and ‘80s. We see him trying to come to terms with an increasingly complicated and political global landscape, which is a fascinating take on the character in my opinion. Clark wants to do the right thing, especially saving lives, but does so with little to no regard for long-standing borders or alliances between countries. Similarly, Nicholas Hoult’s Lex Luthor is a wonderful improvement on some of the mannerisms and highlights of the late Gene Hackman’s performance as the criminal genius. Hoult’s performance is so perfectly hateable that you can’t wait to see his comeuppance later in the film. Rachel Brosnahan gives a wonderful performance as Lois Lane; she’s an excellent foil to Clark’s somewhat naive sense of morality, pointing out the flaws in his ethically/legally questionable actions across the globe. Another small detail I found particularly amusing was the inclusion of both the character of Lex’s girlfriend, Eve Teschmacher, and Otis from the original 1978 film, albeit tweaked to better suit this film’s style.

Overall, I felt that the film was an excellent take on the Man of Steel. Too often superheroes are treated as these dark and broody characters, when their origins in comics are much more light-hearted and fun than it’s made out to be (although if you like angry Superman, check out the “Injustice” comic storyline). Superman should be a big goof, in my opinion—he’s a near god-like alien raised by kind-hearted farmers from Kansas. He’s old-fashioned and campy, something we haven’t gotten out of a Superman movie in a long time. The inclusion of the proto-Justice League consisting of Green Lantern (Guy Gardener), Mister Terrific and Hawkgirl was another excellent choice, especially since we’ve never seen some of these characters in a live-action movie before. Now, it doesn’t take a film student to understand the clear subtext in Gunn’s story, especially given the current climate regarding immigrants and the concept of an “other.” Much of the distrust placed on Superman later in the film is as a result of his status as an alien and his supposed intentions with the human species. Although Superman has never professed any desire to rule the people of Earth, Luthor’s PR machinations lead the public to believe that his heroic actions are merely keeping the planet safe so that Clark may rule it one day. He preys on the notion that no good deed comes for free, and that everyone has some sort of angle. Gunn also plays with the idea of birth parents vs. adoptive parents, specifically who raises you and teaches you to be a good person. By the end of the movie, Clark proves that you can be a good person on your own, and not be expected to be something else because of where you come from.

Besides the wonderful story, there are tons of details for comics fans and superhero film buffs. As I mentioned previously, the inclusion of Miss Teschmacher and Otis is a clear reference to the original 1978 film. In fact, Otis’s last name – Berg – is a reference to a memorable scene from that film where Ned Beatty’s character tries to get a town in California named after himself much to Lex’s vehement objection. Metamorpho, a rarely seen metahuman, makes an appearance as well, and Krypto the Superdog is a major character in the film. The HQ of the Justice Gang was filmed in the Cincinnati Union Terminal, which was the basis for the original Hall of Justice in the “Super Friends” cartoon from 1973. The character of Ultraman is an amalgamation of characters from the comics; clones of Superman range from successes like Superboy and failures like Bizarro, and the name Ultraman comes from an alternate universe version of Clark bent on ruling the world along with the Crime Syndicate, an evil version of the Justice League.

All in all, I thought this movie was a great time from beginning to end. It’s fun, light-hearted and has just enough emotional weight to keep you invested. The acting was phenomenal, the writing was top-tier (a common thing with Gunn) and the comic accuracy was outstanding (Superman has trunks on his costume again!). I give this movie an 8.9 out of 10 – not the best superhero movie I’ve seen, but a solid contender for modern superhero cinema. And it’s my new second-favorite Superman movie as well! I hope my two cents have been helpful, informative and interesting! Happy viewing!